KILGOROUND
KATHRYN MARTINEZ

I woke up this morning to my son nervously pacing the floor, in hopes school would be out for the day. am sure I am not alone in this.

I cannot blame him. I remember days waking up and looking out the window first thing in anticipation of waist-high snow. Back home in Virginia I got my wish. And often.

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When I say I miss snow, the snow we saw today is not what I am talking about. I miss snow that packs perfectly formed round snow-balls, not slushy wet ice-missiles.

This today was not snow, but more like fluffy rain.

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All the bottles occasionally seen lying in Diana Ponder's yard are not down there because her cement menagerie threw a party, but because the chubby and spoiled squirrels are thirsty.

I have been told Diana has been watering the squirrels for so long that

when the bottles run dry the animals make an outcry.

"They just knock them off the tree." Diana said.

The secret to happy squirrels, according to Diana, is sunflower seeds and full (let me repeat FULL) water bottles.

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On this day in: 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the telephone; 1912 - Roald Amundsen first announces to the world that his expedition has reached the South Pole, though they had arrived on December 14, 1911; and in 1965 - In Selma, Alabama, State troopers and local law enforcement forcefully break up a group of 600 civil rights marchers. The event was televised and was dubbed Bloody Sunday.

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Born on this day in: 1925 Rene Gagnon, US Marine shown in photograph of the raising of the US flag on Iwo Jima (d. 1979); 1934 - Willard Scott, American television broadcaster; and in 1964 - Wanda Sykes, American actress and comedian.

+++ Celebrating another year older today are Louise Chreene, Verna Maguire, Peggy R. Jackson, Tim Anderson, Mark Pool, David Riddle, Charlotte Brewer, Donald Beebe, Michael Smith, Mark Johnson, Darlene Jennings, Sibyl Lee, Renae Lampkin, Whitney Alice Clark, Lamarcus A. Bell, Royce McIntosh, Melanie Wesson, Michael Young, Dr. Arthur Morchat, Wayne Taliaferro, Angela Beverly, Ayana Newman, NeAjaha Johnson, Roy Bennett, David Mauldin.

Happy Anniversary today toArchie and Wanda Thayer.

Blowing out the candles on Saturday are Janey Gossage, Kristie Simpson, Terry Stembridge, Jr., Shonda Bell, Nicole Griffin, Phyllis Clayton, Ronnie Walker, Denise Washington, Janie Jamerson, Gary White, Joyce Riddles, Bobby Terry, John Beckham, George Wood, Barbara Crane, Tawnya Mitchell, Margaret Housley, Rachael Haynes, Charlotte Beason, Cody Sprayberry, Jacqueline Hale, Tom DeBerry, Tristan Caldwell, Josh Slagle, Phillip Frazier.

Celebrating another year together on Saturday are Mr. and Mrs. Archie Salyer, Brian and Ellen Bittick.